Movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

A supporting member on which a wafer table is mounted is substantially kinematically supported, via six rod members placed on a slider. Further, coupling members are placed facing in a non-contact manner via a predetermined gap, thin plate-shaped edges provided at both ends in the Y-axis direction of the supporting member. By this arrangement, vibration-damping is performed by the coupling members (squeeze dampers) facing the edges, on vibration of the supporting member mounted on the wafer table. Further, because the supporting member is kinematically supported via the plurality of rod members, it becomes possible to reduce deformation of the wafer table that accompanies deformation of the slider.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A movable body apparatus, comprising:
 a movable body that holds an object and is movable relative to a base; and 
 a drive device having a mover provided at the movable body and a stator provided at the base, 
 wherein the movable body has a slider section, a support member, a frame, and a holding member, the mover being attached to the slider section, the frame being connected to the slider section, the support member being connected to the slider section, the holding member being supported by the support member, and the holding member holding the object, 
 wherein the drive device is a planar motor configured to directly move the object held on the movable body in directions of six degrees of freedom relative to the base by electromagnetic force generated between the mover and the stator, and 
 wherein the support member and the frame form a squeeze film damper therebetween. 
 
     
     
       2. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the movable body is supported by levitation above the base. 
 
     
     
       3. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a predetermined gap is formed between the support member and the slider section. 
 
     
     
       4. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a grating of an encoder system of the movable body apparatus is formed at a lower surface of the support member. 
 
     
     
       5. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the support member has a recess section formed in an upper surface of the support member to house a frame member of the frame. 
 
     
     
       6. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the frame member is housed in a non-contact manner. 
 
     
     
       7. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a non-contact state is maintained between the holding member and the frame. 
 
     
     
       8. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the squeeze film damper is formed between a surface of the support member and a surface of the frame which opposes the slider section. 
 
     
     
       9. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the frame supports a center of the object when held by the holding member. 
 
     
     
       10. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the frame supports a center of the object by vertical movement pins. 
 
     
     
       11. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the support member is supported above the slider section by a plurality of rod members. 
 
     
     
       12. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the plurality of rod members are placed so that at least two rods of the rod members intersect each other when viewed from any direction. 
 
     
     
       13. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the plurality of rod members are fixed to the base. 
 
     
     
       14. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the frame is fixed to the slider section by support sections. 
 
     
     
       15. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a frame member of the frame and the support member are mutually arranged in a non-contact manner, and one member of the frame member and the support member has a part of the one member housed in another member of the frame member and the support member. 
 
     
     
       16. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the frame has a cross-shaped frame member including four rod-shaped sections that intersect in a first direction along a first axis and a second direction along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, and a pair of coupling members that respectively couple two ends of four ends of the frame member and two ends remaining of the four ends of the frame member, and the four ends of the frame member are connected to the base. 
 
     
     
       17. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the squeeze film damper comprises a plurality of squeeze film dampers which are placed apart from one another. 
 
     
     
       18. The movable body apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a coolant supply device connected to a flow passage formed inside the base.